Fort Zachary Taylor is actually a State Park and holds the best beach in Key West. The Fort itself is historical late 1800s era, and you can take a tour before you hit the beach. There are also paths around the park for bicycling or walking, and you can rent kayaks and beach chairs year round.

There’s a nice concession stand where you can get food and water, and the entire beach is lined with beautiful tall pine trees for lots of nice shade if you need it. Under the trees you’ll find picnic tables, making for one of the best places in Key West for a picnic lunch or barbeque dinner. It’s a great place to hold an event like a birthday party or a reunion or meeting.

Because of its location on the island and the currents that carry water across the inshore waters, For Zachary Taylor beach is also the cleanest beach in Key West. This is the top reason it’s the best beach in Key West, but a few other factors make it top of the list as well:

plenty of parking

tour of the historical fort

nice picnic area

shady trees

concession stand

quiet, far from traffic

In wintertime, large sculptures are placed on For Zachary Taylor’s open spaces as part of an arts program.